1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cell phone earpieces and more specifically to a bracket for suspending an earpiece from a cap instead of from an auricle of an ear.
2. Prior Art
Ear pieces that work in coordination with a cell phone are now becoming common, allowing hands free cell phone use, both for convenience and for operation of a vehicle. The operation of the ear piece depends on maintaining placement of the speaker portion of the ear piece at the external auditory meatus so very little volume is required and external noise is minimized. Typically, an ear piece is sold with a mount that has a C-shaped portion that wraps around and behind a user's auricle. The ear piece in the mount is then adjusted with its speaker portion at the acoustic meatus where it is partially held in place by the tragus in combination with the C-shaped portion of the mount.
The ear piece mount is uncomfortable and unsightly. Because it is sometimes offensive to a user, it is often separated from the earpiece and the earpiece is used without the mount, in which case the earpiece is held to the ear only by placing the speaker portion inside the tragus. This is less than a stable mount but still sometimes preferable to using the C-shaped portion of the mount. A mount that is comfortable and still effective is still needed.
While the earpiece is not in use, it is typical to keep the earpiece in the tragus. This can be off-putting to those attempting to have a conversation in person because it is unclear who the earpiece user is talking to; a person on the phone or the person in front of them. Also, it has become gauche in society to walk around with an earpiece in the ear.
It is then an object of the present invention to provide an ear piece mounting bracket that is comfortable to use even for extended periods of time. It is a further object that earpiece not be forced into the auditory meatus by the bracket but instead to be positioned over the ear canal so the user can urge it into the ear at their discretion. It is another object that the bracket holds the ear piece to the external auditory meatus independent of the user's auricle. It is a still further object that the ear piece be conveniently movable away from the auricle and external auditory meatus when not in use so it does not become an irritant to the user and still quickly returned to its operational position when needed for use.